Hinge for grain drill hoppers



Aug. 28, 1962 E. E. SCHNELL HINGE FOR GRAIN DRILL HOPPERS Filed Dec. 12, 1960 FIG. I

INVENTOR.

ERNST E. SCHNELL iiTORNEY 3,051,347 HINGE FOR GRAIN DRILL HUPPERS Ernst E. Schnell, West Bend, Wis, assignor to Deere & Company, Meline, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 75,274 Claims. (Cl. 220-411) This invention relates generally to hoppers for grain drills and the like and particularly to such hoppers having a hinged cover.

The object and general nature of this invention is the provision of a hinge construction in which the cover swings freely at all times relativ to the hopper and in which no opportunity is afforded for material to build up on the cover and/or associated parts such as might prevent the cover from operating freely or the cover from closing completely.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred structure in which the principles of this invention have been incorporated, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which the preferred con struction has been shown by way of illustration.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary end elevation of a portion of a grain drill hopper, with certain parts broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

The grain drill hopper is shown as including front and rear side walls 11, end walls 12, each having a laterally inwardly extending flange 13 (FIG. 2) that is adapted to embrace the associated side walls 11, and a cover member 14 hingedly connected with one of the side walls 11 by means that incorporates the principles of this invention.

The end wall 11 shown in FIG. 1 is formed with a roll indicated at 15 that is formed by bringing the upper portion of the wall upwardly and laterally inwardly, and then around until the inner edge 16 is in substantial contact with the adjacent portion of the wall 11. The roll 15, as will be seen from FIG. 2, extends substantially from one end to the other of the hopper wall and serves as a sleeve or tubular section. The cover 14 is hinged to the side wall 11 by hinge means that is carried by the hopper cover and is disposed within the ends of the roll 15. Such hinge means will now be described.

The hinge means is indicated in its entirety by the ref erence numeral 20 and includes a pair of substantially identical units 21. Each unit includes an angle bracket 22 having a generally horizontal flange 23 and a generally vertical flange 24, the latter being extended, as at 25 (FIG. 1), and apertured to receive a stud 26 on which a roller 27 is journaled. The diameter of the roller 27 is such that it fits snugly within the end of the associated sleeve section 15, as best shown in FIG. 2. The horizontal flange 23 is apertured to receive a pair of fasteners 30 that fix the angle bracket 22 securely to the associated end of the cover 14. The edge of the cover 14 adjacent the sleeve section 15 is formed with an inverted rolled section 28 that embraces the side wall roll portion 15 when the cover is assembled in place on the hopper. As will be seen in FIG. 1, the two roll sections 15 and 28 are spaced apart with suflicient clearance C that there is no likelihood of parts binding or material building up on the adjacent parts to the extent that interference that the free hinging action of the cover can take place. The clearance is somewhat exaggerated in FIG. 1 for purposes of illustration. The disposition of the rollers 27 in the ends of the side wall roll 15 holds ice the cover on the hopper in accurate alinement and with free hinging action, it being understood that there is one of the units 22 at each end of the hopper. Being located within the inner sleeve section 15, the two rollers 27 maintain the two sleeve sections 15 and 28 in accurate concentric relation at all times.

During the assembly of the hopper, the hinge units 20 are mounted in place with the rollers 27 within the ends of the roll 15, and then the hopper end pieces 12 are secured to the side walls, as by welding, riveting or the like, the end pieces 12 being fastened in place so that the vertical flanges 24 of the hinge brackets are held substantially against the inner faces of the end pieces 12. The cover is fastened to the brackets 22 by screws or other fasteners 30 after the end pieces have been secured in place. Thus, there is no opportunity for the rollers 27 to be disengaged from the roll 15. The cover 14 may be disconnected from the brackets 22 at any time desired, as for repair or replacement, merely by taking out the fasteners 30.

While I have shown and described above the preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated, it is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the particular details, shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely different means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of my invention.

What I claim therefore, and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a grain drill or the like including a hopper having a cover, side walls and end walls, hinge means connecting the cover with one of the side walls, comprising a hollow hinge sleeve carried by said one side wall and having ends terminating in inwardly spaced relation relative to the associated end walls, a pair of pivot brackets fixed to the cover and each having a pivot carrying portion disposed in the space between the adjacent end of said hinge sleeve and the adjacent end wall, and pivot means disposed in each end of said hinge sleeve and carried by the adjacent portion of the associated pivot bracket.

2. Hinge means for the hopper of a grain drill or the like having a cover and side and end walls, one of the side walls having a roll forming a sleeve along the upper edge thereof the ends of said roll terminating short of the side walls, leaving a space between each end wall and the adjacent end of said sleeve, a roller bracket fixed to each end of the cover and located thereon so as to lie in the space between adjacent end of said sleeve and the associated end wall, a roller disposed in each end of said sleeve, and a stud fixed to each of said brackets and receiving the associated roller.

3. Hinge means as defined in claim 2, further characterized by each of said roller brackets comprising an angle member having one flange fixed to the cover and the flange disposed closely adjacent the adjacent end wall and extending into the space between the adjacent end of said roll and the associated end wall to receive the associated roller-carrying stud.

4. Hinge means so defined in claim 3 further characterized by said end walls being engageable with said roller brackets to limit endwise displacement of said cover relative to the hopper.

5. In the manufacture of a hopper having end walls, side walls separate from the end walls, one of the side walls having an upper edge formed with a roll serving as a sleeve, a cover, and pivot means attachable to the cover and having means adapted to be disposed in the ends of said roll for hinging the cover to the hopper 3,051,347 3 t end wall, the method of assembly that comprises placing References C ted in the file of this patent the pivot means in the ends of said roll, disposing the UNITED STATES PATENTS end Walls substantially against the pivot means at the outer side thereof and then securing the end Walls to 3,0537% g E the side Walls so as to retain the pivot means Within the 5 580534 en 0 d une side Wall roll, and then connecting the cover to said FOREIGN PATENTS Pivmmeans- 181,235 Austria Feb. 25, 1955 

